Electric pressing iron



April 1962 1. JEPSON ETAL 3,030,485

ELECTRIC PRESSING IRON Filed Nov. 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORSApril 1962' l. JEPSON ET Al. 3,030,485

ELECTRIC PRESSING IRON Filed Nov. 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IINYENTORS. i I r 0?? M United States Patento 3,030,485 ELECTRIC PRESSINGIRON Ivar Jepson, Oak Park, and Joseph L. Vieceli, Cicero, Ill.,assignors to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Filed Nov. 14, 1957, Ser. No. 696,371 8 Claims. (Cl. 219-25)This invention relates generally to pressing irons and more particularlyto hand operated electric pressing irons having thermostatic controlsfor regulating the sole plate temperature.

Thermostatically controlled electric pressing irons have been inwidespread commercial use for many years. The desirability of having anelectric iron which may be set for different operating conditions iswell recognized. Since various fabrics require different sole platetemperatures for most efficient ironing, accurate control of the soleplate temperature has simplified the task of ironing considerably.

Most of the design activity in the electric iron field has centeredaround the temperature control mechanism for maintaining the sole plateat the temperature best suited to the material being pressed. Thetemperature should be regulated accurately since the possibility ofscorching and otherwise damaging the material being pressed is increasedsubstantially if the temperature is above the optimum range. If the soleplate of the iron is regulated to temperatures below the optimum range,the effectiveness of the ironing will be decreased and the time requiredto perform a given ironing operation will be increased. Be-

cause of the desirability of accurate temperature regulation,calibration means are often provided so that the control thermostat maybe adjusted to give the proper range of sole plate temperatures forwhich it is set. To be most effective, the calibration adjustment shouldbe made when the iron is completely assembled so that further assemblyof the iron will not disturb the calibration.

In providing a calibration means accessible on the assembled iron,structural complications arise which increase the cost of the ironconsiderably. Some of the prior art devices employ calibration meanswhich may be operated in the later stages of the assembly of the ironbut prior to its complete assembly. In addition to introducing errors inthe calibration, this last mentioned type of calibration means presentsproblems in the subsequent recalibration of the iron if the thermostatdoes not continue to regulate to the proper temperature. It would bedesirable, therefore, to provide calibration means which would be easilyaccessible when the iron is completely assembled. Among other desirablecharacteristics which should be common to the temperature controlmechanism are accuracy of temperature control over a substantial range,simplicity of construction and long life expectancy.

Although the basic component parts of the electric iron have becomefairly standardized and include a sole plate, a shell, a handle and aheel rest, the mode of assembling these components has been the subjectof much study and experimentation through the years. The ease with whichthese parts of the iron may be assembled is a significant factor indetermining the initial cost of the iron as well as the cost of repairsto be made during the useful life of the device. If the basic parts ofthe iron are structurally simple and easy to assemble, the iron may besold at an advantageous price and may be kept in satisfactory workingorder at a reasonable cost.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedthermostat for an electric iron.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ice thermostathaving a simplified factory calibration mechanism associated therewith.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide an electric flatiron having a thermostat control linkage including a temperaturecalibration means which may be adjusted without disassembling the flatiron.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a simplifiedcontrol linkage for the thermostat of an electric flat iron.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an electric flatiron having a sole plate which includes a simplified means forassembling the other components of the iron thereto.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrically heated flat ironembodying the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the flat iron of FIG. 1 having aportion of the handle and shell cut away;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing a planview of the sole plate;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of the controllinkage;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, this invention has been shown in one form asapplied to an electrically heated flat iron comprising a sole plate 10having at its bottom the usual pressing surface 11. The sole plate hasthe conventional shape provided with a point 12 at the forward end andcurving sides 13 extending rearwardly from the point 12 to a flat heeledge 14. The curving sides 13 slope upwardly and inwardly as indicatedat 13a so that the iron may be easily used among folds, pleats and thelike which are being ironed. The sole plate 10 may be made of anysuitable metal such as aluminum, stainless steel bonded to aluminum orother good heat conducting material.

The sole plate 10 is provided with a sheathed heating element 16 whichis cast integrally with the aluminum sole plate in the conventionalmanner. As in the usual construction, the heating element 16 takes theform of a U-shaped sheathed heating element which is positioned in thesole plate with its ends 1611 protruding rearwardly past the end of thecast aluminum sole plate. The heating element 16 may be of conventionalform having a helical electrical resistance conductor 18 mounted withina tubular sheath 20. The resistance element 18 is held in spacedrelation to the sheath by a compacted mass 22 of electrically insulatingand heat conducting material such as granular magnesium oxide. The endsof the resistance element 18 are provided with terminals 18a whichprotrude rearwardly from the ends 16a of the sheathed heating element.As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the U-shaped heating element 16 isenclosed within an upwardly protruding U-shaped rib 24 formed integrallywith the aluminum sole plate 10.

It can be seen that the sole plate 10 has additional ribs and bosseswhich are provided to support the shell and the thermostat of theelectric iron. The sole plate is covered by means of a shell 26 which isa substantially inverted cup-shaped member having downwardly extendingsides which are supported on the sole plate 10. To reduce heat transferbetween the sole plate 16 and the shell 26 the contacting area betweenthe shell and the sole plate is reduced to a minimum. To accomplish thisfunction and to. fix the shell against lateral movement with respect tothe sole plate, a number of upwardly extending notched protuberances 28are provided to engage the shell at intervals along the edge of the downwardly extending Walls. As can be seen in the sectional drawing of FIG.2, the notched protuberances 28 position the shell 26 with respect tothe sole plate It) so that spaces 29 are left between the sole plate andthe shell 26. s V

In order to secure the shell 26 to the sole plate 10, a pair ofvertically extending bolts 30 are provided which extend through holes inthe upperportion of the shell 26 and are received in threaded openingsin the sole n..

The shell 2 6 serves as a support means for thehandle 32 which may bemade of any suitable electrical and heat insulating material such as aphenol condensation product. The handle 32 is formed with a horizontallyextending gripping portion 34 by means of which the operator manipulatesthe iron. The gripping portion 34 is supported by a pair of verticallyextending column portions 36 and 38 which extend downwardly from thefront and rear portions respectively. The bottom ends of supportingcolumns 36 and 38 are joined by the horizontally extending plate portion40 which serves as a heat insulating shield to protect the operatorshand from the heat radiating upwardly from the sole plate. The

general construction of the handle 32 and the means of securing it tothe shell 26 are disclosed in the United States patent to Bisley No.2,277,034 issued March 24, 1942, to the same assignee as the subjectapplication.

The subject Bisley patent discloses the use of downwardly extendinghooks on the handle portion which engage the shell to retain the handlethereon. In the Bisley patent the handle assembly hooks were shown to bemolded integrally with the plastic handle. In order to reduce the costof the handle, the instant invention deals with a method of includingthe handle assembly hooks with another part of the mechanism so thatthey may be easily assembled to the handle without the additionalexpense of molding them integrally therewith.

In accordance with this object an upwardly extending control linkageguide bracket 42 is formed with a support portion 42a toward the rearthereof which includes at its outer edges a pair of downwardly extendingassembly hooks 42b. The support portion 42a of the control linkage guidebracket 42 is assembled to the handle by means of a self-tapping bolt 44which is received in a hole in the handle 32. To assemble the handle 32to the shell 26, the assembly hooks 42b are inserted through slots inthe upper portion of the shell 26 in the manner disclosed in the abovecited Bisley patent. The handle is then slid forward so that theopenings 420 formed by each of the hooks 42b engage the shell 26 torestrain the handle from vertical or lateral movement. In order toretain the handle in its forward position with the handle assembly hooks42b in engagement with the shell 26, the rear portion of the shell isprovided with several holes through which assembly bolts 46 pass toenter into threaded engagement with cooperating holes in the column 38of the handle 32. Thus, in accordance with the teaching of the subjectBisley patent, the hooks 42b prevent vertical and lateral movement ofthe handle after assembly to the shell 26 and the bolts 46 preventrearward movement of the handle 32 such as might cause disengagement ofthe hooks 42b. It should be noted that in the assembled position ofhandle 32 and shell 26 there remains a substantial spacing 48 betweenthe forward portion of the handle and the top of the shell.

This spacing not only reduces heat transfer between the V shell and thehandle but also permits the easy calibration of the control thermostatwithout disassembling the iron as will be explained in greater detailbelow.

To set the control thermostat so as to obtain the desired sole platetemperature, there is provided in the forward portion of the handle 32 atemperature control lever 50 which may be selectively positioned inregard to indicia appearing on the handle. To provide means on thehandle for mounting the temperature indicia thereon, an adhesive backedmetal foil member 52 is secured to a conically shaped surface on the topof support column 36. The foil member 52 may be suitably marked with thetemperatures for which the control thermostat should be set to regulatethe sole plate temperature or it may bear notations as to the type ofmaterial for which each temperature setting is most suitable. In eitherevent it provides an index means to aidin setting the temperaturecontrol lever 50 to the desired sole plate support column ofthe handle32 is molded to provide a hollow portion 36a within which thetemperature control linkage may extend for operation by the temperaturecontrol lever 50. Communicating with the hollow portion 36a is ahorizontal slot 36b which extends around half of the support column 36.The slot 36b provides clearance for the control lever 59 so that it maybe selectively positioned relative to indicia bearing member 52. Tomount the temperature control lever 50 for rotation about a verticalaxis, a shoulder screw 54 is threadedly received in the handle 32. Ascan be seen in FIG. 2 the shoulder screw 54 is adapted to be received ina downwardly extending bo'ss 36c. Also received on the shoul-' derportion of screw 54 is a temperature control cam 56 which is mounted torotate in unison with the temperature control lever 50 about the axis ofshoulder screw 54.

To provide selective control of the thermostat, the temperature controlcam 56 is provided with a downwardly facing, sloping cam surface 56a ascan be seen in FIGS. 2 and 7. The central portion'56b of the cam; 56 isflat and serves as a bearing surface for the cam 56..

In the center of the bearing'surface 56b, there is formed.

' pair of downwardly extending ears 56d are formed on:

the control cam 56. The ears 56d serve to prevent rela-- tive rotationbetween the temperature cam 56 and the con trol lever 50. Upon assemblyof the shoulder screw 54- to the handle 32 to retain the lever 50 andthe cam 56- in assembled relationship, a tension washer 58 is placed.between the head of shoulder screw 54 and the control lever 50. Thetension washer 58 assures a proper pres-- sure between the handle boss36c and the temperature;-

cam 56 so that they may be rotated relative to each. other but so thatthey will not turn too freely.

To relate the position of the temperature cam 56 to the controlthermostat which is mounted on the sole plate- 10 there is provided anaxially movable cam follower- 60. The cam follower 60 is supported forvertical movement by the bracket 42. The bracket 42 is provided with apair of bearing apertures 42d and 42e'th-rough which the cam follower 60extends. The upper bearing aperture 42d has a gnommet 61 mounted thereinto provide a suitable bearing for the cam follower. The

lower bearing aperture 42s is actually little more than;

strained from horizontal movement by its connection to the controlthermostat. This method of support is particularly advantageous since itrestrains the cam follower 60 from horizontal movement relative to thecam 56 while at the same time permitting limited movement of the bottomportion to eliminate any likelihood of jamming and to reduce friction.

As can be best seen in FIGS. and 6, the cam follower 60 is made up oftwo portions so that its length may be adjusted to vary the calibrationof the control thermostat. The cam follower 60 has an upper oradjustable portion 62 positioned in engagement with .the sloping camsurface 56a. The lower end of the adjustable portion 62 is threaded at62a for assembly to a lower connecting portion 64 of the cam follower60. The middle of the adjustable portion 62 of the cam follower isflattened at 62b to enable it to be engaged by a suitably constructedwrench for rotation thereof for calibration of the control thermostat.The flatted portion 62b is positioned so that a portion of it is alwayslocated in the opening 48 between the handle 32 and the shell 26. Theportion 62b is sufficiently elongated so that, within the range of axialmovementpermitted the cam follower 60, the fiatted portion will alwaysbe located partially within space 48. Thus, regardless of the axialposition of cam follower 60, the flatted portion 62b is readilyaccessible through space 48 to permit calibration of the thermostat. InFIG. 8 a suitable wrench 65 is shown in dotted lines in engagement withthe flatted portion 62b of the adjustable section of the cam follower.The end of wrench 65 is formed with a slot in which the fiatted portion62b fits snugly as the wrench is inserted into the space 48 between thehandle and the shell.

The connecting portion 64 of the cam follower 60 is formed at its upperend with a threaded portion 64a which is adapted to receive the threadedend 62a of the adjustable portion 62 of the cam follower. It can bereadily understood that by rotation of the portion 62 of the camfollower 60 the overall length of the cam follower 60 is changed by thechange in the amount of threaded engagement between the part 62a and 64aon the two-piece cam follower. Since the lower end of the cam followeris in operative engagement with the control thermostat the change inlength of the cam follower provides a simple means of calibrating thecontrol thermostat and the temperature control cam.

A thermostatic switch for the electric iron is designated generally byreference numeral 66 and is mounted in intimate heat exchangerelationship with the central portion of the sole plate 10. Thethermostatic switch 66 is of a single unit construction having all theparts assembled to an elongated frame member 68. The frame 68 comprisesa pair of longitudinally extending side members 68a which are connectedtogether by front and rear transversely extending plates 68b and 680respectively. The front transverse plate 68b serves not only to connectthe spaced frame members 68a but also serves as a mounting plate for theentire thermostatic switch 66. In accordance with this function theplate 68b is secured by screw 70 to an upwardly extending boss or rib 72on the sole plate 10.

In order to have good response to the sole plate temperature, a primarytemperature responsive bimetal 74 is mounted between the boss 72 and themounting plate 68b. The mounting of the bimetal 74 between the frameplate 68b and the boss 72 assures good heat transfer between the soleplate and the bimetal 74. The outer or free end of the bimetal 74 isprovided with a ceramic insulating button 76 which is adapted to actuateelectrical contacts in a manner to be explained below. The highexpansion side of bimetal 74 is lowermost so that it deflects upwardlywhen heated.

Supported on the plate 680 of the frame 68 are the switch arms carryinga pair of electrical contacts 78 and 79. The lowermost contact 78 ismounted on a rigid switch arm which extends upwardly and forwardly aswell as rearwardly from the contact 78. The rearwardly extending portion80a of the switch arm is joined to a resilient supporting arm 82. Thesupporting arm 82 is adapted to mount switch arm 80 so that the lowercontact 78 may be moved relative to the thermostat frame member 68.Movement of the switch arm 80 is accomplished by means of force appliedto a forwardly extending portion 80b of the switch arm 80. To permit theforward extension of portion 80b while not interfering with bimetal 74or the upper switch arm, an intermediate connecting portion 800 isformed integrally with the switch arm 80. The connecting portion 800extends upwardly from the portion of the switch arm adjacent the contact78 and connects with the forwardly extending portion 8% at a positionabove the switch contacts.

The switch arm 80 and its associated contact 78 are supported by theresilient arm 82 so that they may be positioned in accordance with thesetting of the control lever 50 and the temperature control cam 56mounted in the handle portion. As was explained above, the cam follower60 is mounted for vertical axial movement in accordance with thepositioning of the cam 56. In order to transmit movement of the camfollower 60 to the switch arm 80, a switch lever 84 is pivotally mountedbetween the forward portions of the thermostat frame 68. The switchlever 84 consists of an elong-atedmernber having a pair of parallelspaced mounting plates 84a extending downwardly from opposite sides ofthe center portion of the lever 84. The mounting plates 84a are formedwith aligned holes to receive a mounting pin 88 which pivotally mountsthe switch lever with respect to the thermostat frame 68. Since theswitch lever 84 is positioned above the assembly screws 70, the switchlever 84 and pivot pin 88 are not assembled to thermostat frame 68 untilafter the thermostat assembly 66 is screwed to the sole plate.

To accomplish the pivotal connection between the cam follower 60 and theswitch lever 84, the connecting portion 64 of the cam follower is formedwith a bifurcated end 64b. To provide a bearing on switch arm 84 for thebifurcated portion 64b of the cam follower, longitudinally extendingcutout portions 84b are formed in the forwardmost end of switch lever84. Separating the cutout portions 84b is a transversely extendinghearing portion 840 which is received between the bifurcated ends of theconnecting portion 64 of the cam follower.

The rearwardly extending end of the switch lever 84 has an insulatingplate 89 secured thereto for bearing engagement with the cooperating endof switch arm 80b. The insulating plate 89 is formed of siliconeimpregnated Fiberglas, mica or other suitable insulating material. Toretain the insulating plate 89' on the switch lever 84, a pair of ears84d formed integrally with switch lever 84 are crimped over theinsulating plate 89. The plate 89 serves to electrically insulate thecontrol linkage from the contact member 78.

The upper electrical contact 79 is supported adjacent the lower contact78 by means of an upper resilient switch arm 90. The switch arm 90 isjoined to the thermostat frame 68 by means of rivet 92 which secures allthe contact elements and connectors in stacked, insulated relationshipin a well known manner. A series of ceramic washers 94 are employedbetween the conducting elements in the stack to insulate them from oneanother. To distribute the force of the rivet head against the ceramicwasher 94 on the top of the stack, a metal washer 95 is assembledbetween the rivet head and the ceramic washer. The ceramic washers areprovided with integral bosses which are received in holes in theconducting members for maintaining the conducting members spaced fromthe assembly rivet 92. The assembly of stacked conducting membersutilizing such ceramic washers or spacers is well known in thethermostat art and is therefore not disclosed in detail.

The resilient support arms 82 and 90 are formed and positioned so thatin their undefiected position, the contacts 7'8, 79 are spaced from eachother. Upon assembly of the cam follower 60 and handle 32 including thecam 56 to the iron, the downward force exerted by the cam follower 60 onthe switch lever 84 tends to flex or bias the resilient support arm 82upwardly. The counteracting force exerted by arm 82 tends to maintainthe cam follower 60 in engagement with cam 56. This relationship betweenthe thermostatic switch 66 and the cam 56 and cam follower 60 creates anexcellent fail safe whereby the contacts 78, 79 will open the heatingcircuit when the handle or control cam is removed or broken.

Extending forwardly from the upper switch arm 90 is a compensatingbimetal 96. The bimetal 96 is secured to the switch arm 90 by anysuitable means such as welding, riveting or the like. The high expansionside is positioned downwardly so that bimetal 96 curves upwardly as itis heated as does the primary bimetal 74. This upward deflection ofbimetal 96 tends to compensate the thermo# static switch for the errorwhich would otherwise result from the change in ambient temperature towhich the primary bimetal 74 is subjected.

Even though the sole plate of an electric sadiron is constructed ofheavy cast material and has the heating ele-' ment cast integrallytherewith, there is often some tendency for the sole plate to warp as itis heated. Because of this tendency, a fluttering of the electricalcontacts is often noted when the temperature control linkage or thethermostat is supported at more than one point so as to be affected bysuch warping. This contact fluttering has been found to be present onlywhen an increase in the hole plate warpag'e tends to open the contacts.The sole plate warpage in such instance operates against the desiredcontrol characteristics of the iron. Thus, when the thermostat sensesthe temperature is low and closes the contacts, the heat delivered tothe sole plate tends to immediately open the contacts before the desiredsole plate temperature rise has taken place. It would be desirabletherefore to arrange the thermostat and the control linkage in such away that any sole plate warpage would tend to close the contacts as theiron is heated rather than to open them.

As the iron is heated, the location of the heating element closer to theupper surface of the sole plate tends to deform the sole plate so thatit becomes slightly concave downward. Because of the mounting of thecontrol linkage relative to the mounting of the thermostatic switch 66,this distortion of the sole plate tends to lower the forward end of theswitch lever 84 with respect to the thermostat switch 66. Because of theinverted arrangement of the contact arm 80', this lowering of theforward end of switch lever 84 tends to close the contacts 78, 79eliminating the possibility of any contact fluttering and eliminatingthe associated contact wear. By having the temperature control linkage,the switch lever 84 and the bimetals 74 and 96 operating as shown toeliminate contact fluttering, longer switch life results.

The iron of the instant invention is provided with a conventional twoconductor power cord 98 which enters through an opening in the rearhandle column 38. A suitable cord guide and strain relief 102 isutilized to prevent wear at the point of entry in the iron and to reducethe possibility of disturbing the electrical connections to the iron bythe application of force to the power cord 98. Two conductors 98a and98b of the power cord 98 are joined to suitable bus connections 104 and106 respectively. The bus connectors 104 and 106 are assembled to thethermostat switch 66 by means of the rivet 92 described above whichretains the conducting members and ceramic washers 94 in stackedrelation. The connector 104 is secured to the switch arm 90 by weldingto assure good electrical conduction therebetween. The connector 106 issimilarly assembled to the thermostatic switch 66 by inclusion in theriveted stack by rivet 92. The bus connectors 104 and 106 are formedwith upwardly extending legs 104aand 106a which have screws 185 and 107threadedly received in their upper ends to secure the ends of conductors98a and 98b thereto.

To elfect the connection between the thermostat switch 66 and theheating element 16, a pair of wire connectors 108 and 109 are welded tothe terminals 18a of the sheathed heating element. The other ends of thewire connectors are secured to thermostatic switch 66 by rigidconducting plates which are assembled to the thermostat frame 68 bymeans of the rivet 92. One of the conducting plates is made up of aportion of bus connector 10 6 which is formed with an outwardlyprojecting tab 106!) to which the wire connector 108 is secured. The endof the wire connector 108 is bent in a circular form around assemblyscrew 110 which is threadedly received in tab 10612. When the screw 110is tightened down against the connector 108, good electrical conductionis established between the end of heating element 16 and the conductor98b through the bus connector 106.

The other wire connector 109 is joined to thermostat 66 through rigidconducting plate 111 which is assembled to the stack by rivet 92 asdescribed above. The plate 111 is welded to the resilient support arm'82 to assure good electrical conduction between wire connector 109 andswitch arm 80. The plate 111 has an integrally formed tab 111a which isdrilled and tapped to receive assembly screw 113., The end of the wireconnector 109 is bent in a circular forrn around assembly screw 113.Immediately below plate 111, there is provided a mica insulating platewhich is designed to space the plate in the shell 26 and bolts 46 whichsecure the rear end of the handle to the shell. This provides aneflicient and attractive arrangement whereby all the assembly means arehidden from view. In order to provide access to the handle assemblybolts 46 which extend from the inside of the shell into the handle,there is provided a removable heel plate 116 at the most rearwardportion of the iron. The heel plate 116 is formed of sheet metal andassembled to the iron by means of a single screw 114. To support theheel plate in position, the sole plate '10 is formed with a rearwardlyprojecting assembly lug 112. The assembly lug 112 is cast integrallywith the sole plate and extends rearwardly in a plane spaced above thepressing surface 11 of the sole plate 10. The upwardly extending bolt114 is threadedly received in the assembly lug 112 to secure the heelplate 116 in position as can be best seen in FIG. 2 This arrangementprovides a simple and inexpensive means for uniting the heel plate tothe iron. Heretofore it was conventional to assemble the heel plate fromabove or to utilize separate brackets or elongated screws extendingupwardly into the handle portion.

The thermostatic switch 66 and its associated control linkage embodiesan important safety feature heretofore unknown in this field. Thethermostatic switch 66 includes a fail-safe feature so that if thehandle is broken or otherwise removed from the iron when it is connectedto its power supply, no overheating will result since the contacts 78,79 will be immediately opened. It can be seen that if the pressureexerted by cam 56 on the cam follower 60 is removed, the'resilience ofsupport arm 82 of thermostatic switch 66 will cause contact 78 to above,the instant invention provides a simplified sadiron construction whichmay be easily assembled in manu facturing and may be readily calibratedat the completion of the assembly operation. In addition, the iron maybe readily recalibrated any time during its life without disassembly.The thermostat construction is designed for ease of manufacture and toeliminate contact fluttering for longer iron life. The assembly meansfor the heel plate and the support means for the cam and cam followerlinkage are so arranged to reduce the parts required and facilitatetheir assembly to the pressing 1ron.

While we have shown and described a particular embodiment of ourinvention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from ourinvention in its broader aspects and we therefore aim in the appendedclaims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. An electric iron comprising a sole plate having electric heatingmeans, a shell mounted thereon enclosing said heating means, athermostatic switch within the shell for controlling the heating meansin response to the sole plate temperature, a handle having a grippingportion and a support portion secured to said shell, said supportportion of said handle being mounted in closely spaced relation to saidshell, the space between said shell and said support portion providing athermal barrier against heat transfer from said shell to said handle,manually operable temperature control means mounted on said handle forsetting the temperature of the sole plate, a connecting linkageextending through said support portion between said control means andsaid thermostatic switch across the spaced portions of said handle andsaid shell, and said linkage including temperature calibration meansaccessible through and being positioned partially within the spacebetween said handle and said shell for changing the relationship betweensaid control means and said thermostatic switch when said iron iscompletely assembled.

2. An electric iron comprising a sole plate having electric heatingmeans, a shell mounted on said sole plate enclosing said heating means,a handle having a gripping portion, front and rear supporting columnsconnected to said gripping portion and secured to said shell, 2.thermostatic switch for controlling the heating means in response to thesole plate temperature, a manually adjustable cam for controlling thesetting of said thermostatic switch, said cam being mounted for rotationabout a vertical axis in the front supporting column a cam followerextending through said front supporting column and said shell betweensaid cam and said thermostatic switch, said cam follower being mountedfor axial movement in response to adjustment of said cam, and a portionof said cam follower accessible between said shell and the bottom ofsaid front supporting column when said iron is completely assembled forvarying the length of said cam follower.

3. An electric iron comprising a sole plate having electric heatingmeans, a shell mounted on said sole plate enclosing said heating means,a handle having a gripping portion, front and rear supporting columns onsaid handle connected to said gripping portion and secured to saidshell, a thermostatic switch for controlling the heating means inresponse to the sole plate temperature, a manually adjustable campositioned on said handle for controlling the setting of saidthermostatic switch, said cam being mounted for rotation about avertical axis in said front supporting column, a two-piece verticallyextending cam follower extending through said front supporting columnand said shell between said cam and said thermostatic switch and mountedfor axial movement in response to adjustment of said cam, the two partsof said cam follower being threadediy engaged so that rotation of onepart relative to the other changes the over-all length of the camfollower, one of said parts being restrained against rotation by itsengagement with said thermostatic switch, and the other of said camfollower parts being accessible between said shell and the bottom ofsaid front supporting column when said iron is completely assembled.

4. An electric iron comprising a sole plate having electric heatingmeans, a handle mounted on said sole plate for manipulation of saidiron, a thermostatic switch for controlling the heating means inresponse to the sole plate temperature, a manually adjustable campositioned on said handle for controlling the setting of saidthermostatic switch, a two-piece vertically extending cam followerpositioned between said cam and said thermostatic switch and mounted forvertical movement in response to adjustment of said cam, the two partsof said cam follower being t-hreadedly engaged so that rotation of onepart relative to the other changes the over-all length of the camfollower, one of said parts being restrained against rotation by itsengagement with said thermostatic switch, a portion of said handle beingmounted in spaced relation to the remainder of said iron, and saidrotatable portion of said cam follower being positioned in part withinsaid space.

5. An electric iron of the type described in claim 4 in which therotatable cam follower portion positioned in said space has a flattenedcross section so it may be readily rotated.

6. The electric iron of claim 1 wherein said temperature calibrationmeans comprises an elongated two-piece member mounted for longitudinalmovement, the two pieces of said member being threadedly engaged wherebysaid switch is calibrated by varying the amount of threaded engagementbetween said pieces.

7. The electric iron of claim 2 wherein said cam follower includes aconnecting portion in threaded engagement with said first-mentionedportion, the length of said cam follower being varied by rotating saidfirst-mentioned portion to change the amount of threaded engagementbetween said portions.

8. The electric iron of claim 7 wherein said connecting portion isrestrained from rotation by its engagement with said thermostaticswitch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,143,572 Denhard June 15, 1915 1,971,970 Walder Aug. 28, 1934 2,012,490Wright Aug. 27, 1935 2,277,034 Bisley Mar. 24, 1942 2,342,653 EdwardsFeb. 29, 1944 2,403,115 Olving July 2, 1946 2,431,186 McCullough Nov.18, 1947 2,541,119 Sparklin Feb. 13, 1951 2,602,873 Finlayson July 8,1952 2,613,460 Vance Oct. 14, 1952 2,657,484 Sparklin et al Nov. 3, 19532,700,237 Ireland Jan. 25, 1955 2,726,313 Gomersall et al Dec. 6, 19552,810,812 Swenson Oct. 22, 1957 2,810,813 Finlayson Oct. 22, 19572,887,800 Kistner May 26, 1959 2,906,043 Jepson et al Sept. 29, 1959FOREIGN PATENTS 489,708 Great Britain Aug. 2, 1938 586,543 Great BritainMar. 21, 1947 1,153,583 France Oct. 7, 1957

